Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2014)

Kabir Khan is a director who is unafraid of exploring new territories, no matter how unsafe they are. After gun slinging with his actors, Katrina Kaif and Saif Ali Khan, in the war-ravaged Lebanon-Syria border, the filmmaker moved his spy thriller, Phantom, to Kashmir for more action.

Kabir has just returned from the snow-clad valley in one piece and is now planning for his lead pair to go underwater.

The location could be a Olympic size swimming pool in nearby Khapoli or in Mulund. The venue may seem unimpressive, but according to a source, Kabir has planned an elaborate underwater sequence replete with daring stunts.“The scenes are a highpoint in the film and before leaving for the Kashmir schedule, Kabir went on a recee. He not only wanted to be well-prepared but also ensure that his actors are safe during the shoot," said the source.

 Anees Adenwala of Underwater Film Service has been approached to film these scenes. The certified scuba diver had earlier trained Saif for Tashan and Katrina Kaif for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara. More recently, he tutored Aamir Khan for the underwater sequences in Talaash and Dhoom 3 and Shah Rukh Khan for a sequence in Happy New Year which was canned just last month.

The source added, “As both Saif and Katrina have trained with Anees, they are comfortable with him. Kabir plans to shoot this sequence in March or April when the water is not too cold.”

When contacted Kabir, who himself is a certified scuba diver, confirmed the news and said, “Saif and Katrina who have done similar scenes in the past, are super charged. They will need to undergo some training, but they are both skilled divers and I am confident that we will pull off these rigorous sequences which are an imporatnt part of the story."

 Kabir is thrilled to brave the elements once again after the difficult schedule in icy Gulmarg."We shot at the highest point in extreme weather. Saif had a blast in the deep snow and after a hard day's work we were treated to a 16-course traditional wazwan meal. Kashmir is still one of the most beautiful locations I have been to. We are back in the city and the erratic weather is hard to adjust to," added Kabir.